The present disclosure relates generally to fixers, and more particularly, to a fixer for a metallic inkjet ink system.
Inkjet printing is a non-impact printing method where droplets of ink are deposited on a print media, such as paper, to form a desired image. Inkjet ink sets or systems are generally used for inkjet printing. The ink system often includes a plurality of different colored inks, commonly in groups of four, six or eight colors (e.g., one or more shades of cyan, magenta, yellow and/or black), and may further include an image fixing/fixer fluid. The fixer is generally applied over or under the ink when the ink is established on the print media surface. The fixer interacts with the colorant of the ink(s) to thereby crash or otherwise fix the ink(s) to the print media surface.
Metallic inks often include a metal dispersed in an ink vehicle. One attribute of a metallic ink is its electrical conductivity. As such, metallic inks may be used as a coating material for various electrical devices. Another attribute of a metallic ink is its tendency to shine or exhibit a metallic luster when exposed to light, and, thus, such an ink may be desirable in printing processes.
Images printed with metallic inks may be susceptible to damage resulting from the ink's reaction to various elements in the environment (e.g., oxygen, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and/or other constituents of air), and/or to foreign materials that may contact the ink such as, for example, oils from a person's skin, water splashing, scuffing, and scratching. These elements may tend to deleteriously affect both the electrical conductivity as well as the shiny, metallic luster appearance. In some instances, impingement of atmospheric gases on the printed metallic inks may cause oxidation of, or other chemical reactions with the metal(s), resulting in discoloration and/or a decrease in metallic luster.